By Cindy K Roberts
In the rodeo world, an established point system that scores a rider’s
performance is used. For example, a
judge awards points primarily for spurring action in bareback and saddle bronc
riding. The rider loses points if his toes are not turned out with his spurs in
contact with the horse; if spurring is not continuous throughout the ride; and
if he is not balanced and in control. Points are gained or lost according to
the rider’s rhythm and timing with the horse’s bucking. Now, in bull riding,
points are scored by the rider maintaining body control and position regardless
of what the bull is doing. Spurring is not required in bull riding, but
definitely adds points to the score. When it comes to scoring the stock, high
kicking action with hind legs fully extended makes for a better score. This all
adds up to a better show and yes rodeo is a sport, it takes balls and one must
be an athlete.
The established point system in the cowgirl world is similar. Points are gathered from the first pony ride to the very last barn dance, these special moments build up the very ego of a special woman that is connected with her horse or mule. The greater the experience the higher the points and the more accomplished the rider feels. Unforeseen events or screw-ups work against the point system and are hard on the ego. Screw-ups such as getting dumped; you could get dumped by your horse or you could very well get dumped by your boyfriend; we know that neither is good…very stressful to the cowgirl’s ego. Pride is weighed in heavily on this point system; a gal has bragging rights on the very event that is recorded as an accomplishment or milestone in her western world. Life is competitive around the barn and ranches; scoring high is essential.
An example on how the cowgirl goes about to collect her points: to score
points one must be subjected to a series of events that involves moving hay,
catching loose stock, training mules and horses, fixing fence, gatherin’ strays
and doctoring livestock. . . just to name a few. Of course, while performing
these necessary barn or ranch assignments the cowgirl will be subjected to a
certain amount of sweat, pain, blisters, possible burns, bruises, swelling,
sprains, fractures, breaks, tears and at times . . . blood. As one may have
guessed, blood will help you score higher as well as the sprains, fractures and
breaks; throwing in a mule into this mix is clearly a bonus. Being subjected to
mud puddles or taking in some dust rates lower on the score sheet. Cleaning
tack as necessary as it is, also rates lower on the score sheet as well along
with feeding the barn cats.
It seems that the more mileage one can get out of telling a story regarding
one’s own scrape with nature or their last heroic triumph in breaking their
last mule, adds a little spark to the tale itself. Including heightened details
to your discussion on concussions, memory loss, staggering to find your way
back after being thrown on the trail is what sets fire to the cowgirl soul. You
see, there’s something about a war story, in this case a cowgirl’s adventure
tale, that brings a flame to the listener’s ear. The more drama ensued into the story higher
points are earned. No one wants to hear a lame story on how the cat food was
bought on sale for the barn cats, pouring the remainder in airtight containers
and taking inventory of the felines lined up for dinner. Shoveling manure is not rated high for story
telling either. Even though shoveling manure is necessary, it is listed in the
average B rating in the points category, simply because it does not require a
higher skillset to do the task. But . . . to hear the story on how mule
cowgirl, Prairie Rose got caught up in the high and mighty Missouri River from
her mule slipping into the treacherous waters with sinking sludge underneath
him, she clinging to the saddle horn, then to ride out the muddy rapids to the
other side; that true tale itself will take one’s breath away! Yes, that is one
worth talking about! You can easily imagine the snakes and snapping turtles
lurking through the waters, not to mention the turkey vultures hovering above!
The time you rode the northern slope one sunny February afternoon, your
mule slipped on a patch of frozen ground; all of a sudden, went down, crashed
on his side, pinned your leg to the ground, then to end up with a sprained
ankle. Crawling on hands and knees to find a strong limb to support you, this
all adds special affects to the story. Never mind that your mule stood there at
the bottom of the hill waiting for your return, licking and chewing the whole
time. You are going for the round of bonus points. This is your opportunity to
add the part, you called your mule that promptly walked up and waited patiently
as you struggled to get back on. The bigger the injury, the more sloped over in
the saddle one should be when returning to camp or the barn. All these
treacherous details are not spared in a good cowgirl adventure story. By the
way, this is important stuff here: everyone leaves out the part about tetanus
shots, antibiotics and ointment. There’s something about tetanus shots,
ointment and gauze bandaging that doesn’t really appeal to the readers or
listeners of a cowgirl up story; if you want to remain popular, you just don’t
mention it.
Getting lost on the trail is not considered a heroic experience for earning
points, because you are supposed to have enough sense not to get lost in the
first place. However, if one had to use their knife or pistol in order to
survive while trying to find their way, then that places the event into a whole
new category. Anytime you add bears, struggling with a big cat or your mule was
standing guard for coyotes, the points are higher and that is something worth
writing home about.
The everyday actual tasks that rank high on the cowgirl Richter scale:
roping wild mini-donks to corral them for the farrier visit, herding up young
mules for their vaccinations, sorting mules for the pack string and moving cows
to the other pasture; these are factual accounts of a cowgirl’s day that is
worth some salt in talking about. Giving yourself stitches, cauterizing a wound
or drinking out of a hoof print certainly ranks high up there for gaining
cowgirl points and will entertain your listeners for a long while.
There are special and cherished moments that will never be forgotten; giving birth has a special meaning and raising children are all time extra points for the living cowgirl. Helping to deliver a newborn foal into the world, bottle feeding an orphan calf, doctoring a sick horse . . . these challenges cowgirls embrace in their own lives. Cowgirls take responsibility in their everyday chores at home and work; they take pride in their work and they wear it well. They live, eat, drink and sleep the cowgirl lifestyle. They contribute to everyone around them, they share and help others. They breathe in the cowgirl essence into their very soul. Live life well and score high amigos. ~Cindy K. Roberts
